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Wa2k radio Land/Design news for this week - adaptive re use of an old Sears building instead of demo and a big box:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5189777.html
(link courtesy of ArchNewsNow.com)

I believe this is from "Pinafore"
Anyhow, it's by W S Gilbert.

Let's see if I can remember it....I think it starts:

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

ALL:
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

GENERAL:
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

ALL:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.

GENERAL:
I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's;
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous;

I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,
I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes!
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.

ALL:
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.

GENERAL:
Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform,
And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

ALL:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.

GENERAL:
In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin",
When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin,
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery--
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.


ALL:
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.

GENERAL:
For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

ALL:
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.


Something like that, anyway. McT

Thanks, Osso, for that site. It's good to see historic places being preserved. Wonder what the price of the penthouse is? Will you explain to our listening audience what, exactly, constitutes art deco?

Panz and smorgs. If one has acrophobia (as does fishin') we advise not looking down from the Sears penthouse.

McTag. I could feel that delightful rhythm and the words were absolutely the most clever things that I have ever heard. Leave it to you to remember the engineering theme. The only lyrics that I recall were:

I am the captain of the Pinafore,
And a right good captain, too.
I'm very, very good and be it understood,
I'm never, never sick at sea.

(what never?)
No never!
(what never?)
Well, hardly everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

"...I washed the dishes
And I swept the floor
And I polished up the brasses of the big front door-

I polished up the brasses so carefulee
That now I am the ruler of the Queen's Navee....."

McTag, you are a wonder. I'm assuming that was the end of the Captain's log.

Ah, listeners, I had hoped that someone would comment on Snood's post. As I told RJB, on WA2K, we can feel free to speak freely without fear of the pouncers.

Evening, yall:
Ossobuco-thanks for your periodic architecture stories/links. I must admit that I am a little wary of gentrification,yuppiefication (which this project seems to be). But I also readily concede that this property had, according to the article, been vacant and decaying for ten years.
Re Art Deco- a style that flouished in the 1920's and 1930's as I recall. But Osso can probably tell the story better than I can.
Johnboy in tights, if it wasn't clear, was when johnboy was 12. Johnboy in tights now, almost a half-century later, would not be a pretty sight.
Thanks, McTag, for the "modern Major General." As I recall it is sung very, very allegro (fast).

Oh, it was clear, John of Virginia. As you recall, I said "boys in tights"...

For the late night listeners, a tiny bit of music:



Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

You know something, listeners. There is a little of that river in all of us.
For some odd reason, the juxtaposition of this wistful song and this one have crossed the path of my mind:

I never feel a thing is real when I'm away from you
Out of your embrace, the world's a temporary parking place
MMMMM, A bubble for a minute
You smile, the Bubble has a rainbow in it
Say it's only a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make believe if you believed in me
Yes it's only a canvass sky hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make believe if you believed in me
Without your love, it's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love, it's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make believe if you believed in me.

Today would have been my mother's 76th birthday, Letty. She left this world a little over seven years ago. Would you play a special song in her memory? It's one she and my Dad taught me when I was a tiny thing. We used to sing it together.


HIGH HOPES
(Sinatra's version)

Next time your found with your chin on the ground,
There's a lot to be learned, so look around.

Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant?
Anyone knows an ant can't
Move a rubber tree plant.

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes,
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes...

So anytime your gettin' low,
'Stead of lettin' go,
Just remember that ant...
Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant!

When troubles call, and your back's to the wall,
There's a lot to be learned--that wall could fall.

Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam.
No one could make that ram scram...
He kept buttin' that dam.

'Cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes,
He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes...

So anytime your feelin' bad,
'Stead of feelin' sad,
Just remember that ram--
Oops, there goes a billion kilowatt dam!

All problems just a toy balloon,
They'll be bursted soon,
They're just bound to go "Pop!"
Oops there goes another problem...Kerplop!

Eva, my father died when he was 76. Isn't that kismet? I sang with him and he joined in, right before the end.

for your mother:

The song is ended
But the melody lingers on
You and the song are gone
But the melody lingers on

The night was splendid
And the melody seemed to say
"Summer will pass away
Take your happiness while you may"

There 'neath the light of the moon
We sang a love song that ended too soon

The moon descended
And I found with the break of dawn
You and the song had gone
But the melody lingers on.

My mother just turned 76.

Eva, I sing that song to my granddaughter

My father died at 74. Over 10 years ago. I still miss him. <sigh>

My mom died when she was 93. No, let me retract that. She didn't die, she just quit living.

This has been a strange evening, listeners. I just heard from my friend, Mary, whose husband is in a nursing home. I told her on the phone tonight that my mom only cried twice. Once, when my brother disappeared for a short while, and the other when my father died.

Her words:

I thought the worst thing that could ever happen was to lose a child; it's not; the worst thing is to lose a husband.

Thank you, Letty and colorbook. I still miss her. She was a very practical person, and extremely funny when she wasn't trying to be. Her presence made life easier for everyone she knew. I wish she was still here.

Goodnight, dear friends.

On this same subject, this song always comes to my mind :

Can't run away from you, dear
I've tried so hard but I fear
You'll always follow me near and far
Just when I think that I'm set
Just when I've learned to forget
I close my eyes, dear, and there you are

You keep coming back like a song
A song that keeps saying, remember

The sweet used-to-be
That was once you and me
Keeps coming back like an old melody

The perfume of roses in May
Returns to my room in December

From out of the past where forgotten things belong
You keep coming back like a song.

and the lines from a song that haunt me. A song my mother sang, but I can't find it anywhere and I can't remember the words:

Forgotten you
Well, if forgetting
Mean aching with all my heart
And longing _________________
___________________________
Then, if this be forgetting,
You're right here dear, and I have forgotten you there.

Osso doesn't know anything more of art deco than any of the rest of you, and probably less than some who live in Florida.

I gather the alternative on the Sears site was to become WalMart, etc., though I didn't read it that carefully.
I'd like to start a landuse - architecture - design - land art
long term topic here on a2k, but can't figure where to put it that it won't be lost, which is part of why I sneak it in here.
Most of my other arch type posts, under north america (or wherever) or business/technology go abourning with zilch interest. I think it is a kind of art - well, architecture and landarch are part of the arts, but so can be regular old building. So I am here dallying, glad for any interest shown on a2k radio.

Ah, Raggedy. I love that song. It's just keeps coming back.

Osso, believe it or not, I just found out that Hoover Dam is art deco.


James Taylor
There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Waiting for Summer, his pastures to change
And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
As if maybe someone could hear
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rock-a-bye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rock-a-bye sweet baby James
Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go
There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rock-a-bye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rock-a-bye sweet baby James

That was written for James' nephew, Alex, and it was written in the car as he drove to see the wee bairn. Things we learn.

Goodnight from Florida to all of you here and all the listeners who have remained faithful.

Dam those hoovers, I don't want to vacuum!

"and it was written in the car as he drove to see the wee bairn."

and speaking of being in a car

here's gillian welch and "look at miss ohio"

Oh me oh my oh, look at Miss Ohio
She's a-running around with her rag-top down
She says I wanna do right but not right now

Gonna drive to Atlanta and live out this fantasy
Running around with the rag-top down
Yeah I wanna do right but not right now

Had your arm around her shoulder, a regimental soldier
An' mamma starts pushing that wedding gown
Yeah you wanna do right but not right now

Oh me oh my oh, would ya look at Miss Ohio
She's a-runnin' around with the rag-top down
She says I wanna do right but not right now

I know all about it, so you don't have to shout it
I'm gonna straighten it out somehow
Yeah I wanna do right but not right now

Oh me oh my oh, look at Miss Ohio
She a-runnin' around with her rag-top down
She says I wanna do right , but not right now
Oh I wanna do right but not right now

and now in honour of ossobuco's signature, some ani difranco

In a coffee shop in a city
which is every coffee shop
in every city
On a day which is every day
I pick up a magazine
which is every magazine
I read a story then I forgot it right away

They say goldfish have no memory
I guess their lives are much like mine
and the little plastic castle
is a surprise every time
And it's hard to say if they are happy
but they don't seem much to mind

From the shape of your shaved head
I recognized your silhoutte
as you stepped in out of the sun and sat down
And the sight of your sleepy smile eclipsed all the other people
as they paused to snear at the girls from out of town

I said, ";Baby, look at you this morning
you are by far the cutest.
But be careful getting cofee
I think these people want to shoot us
I think there's some kind of local competition here

to see who can be the rudest";

People talk about my image
like I come in two dimensions
Like lipstick is a sign of my decling mind
Like what I happen to be wearing the day
that someone takes my picture
is my new statement for all womankind

I wish they could see us now
in leather bras and rubber shorts
like some ridiculous team uniform
for some ridculous new sport
quick someone call the girl police
and file a report

in a coffe shop in a city
which is every coffee shop
in every city
on a day which is every day